SENATE BILL NO. 64 Offered January 9, 2008 Prefiled December 21, 2007 A BILL to amend and reenact § 37.2-500 of the Code of Virginia, relating to community services boards; core services. ---------- Patron-- Howell ---------- Referred to Committee on Education and Health ----------

Be it enacted by the General Assembly of Virginia:

1.  That § 37.2-500 of the Code of Virginia is amended and reenacted as follows:

§ 37.2-500. Purpose; community services board; services to be provided.

The Department, for the purposes of establishing, maintaining, and promoting the development of mental health, mental retardation, and substance abuse services in the Commonwealth, may provide funds to assist any city or county or any combinations of cities or counties or cities and counties in the provision of these services. Every county or city shall establish a community services board by itself or in any combination with other cities and counties, unless it establishes a behavioral health authority pursuant to Chapter 6 (§ 37.2-600 et seq.) of this title. Every county or city or any combination of cities and counties that has established a community services board, in consultation with that board, shall designate it as an operating community services board, an administrative policy community services board or a local government department with a policy-advisory community services board. The governing body of each city or county that established the community services board may change this designation at any time by ordinance. In the case of a community services board established by more than one city or county, the decision to change this designation shall be the unanimous decision of all governing bodies.

The core of services provided by community services boards within the cities and counties that they serve shall include emergency services and, subject to the availability of funds appropriated for them, crisis stabilization, case management, out-patient, respite, in-home, and residential and housing support services. The core of services may include a comprehensive system of inpatient, outpatient, day support, residential, prevention, early intervention, and other appropriate mental health, mental retardation, and substance abuse services necessary to provide individualized services and supports to persons with mental illnesses, mental retardation, or substance abuse.

In order to provide comprehensive mental health, mental retardation, and substance abuse services within a continuum of care, the community services board shall function as the single point of entry into publicly funded mental health, mental retardation, and substance abuse services.

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